Happy Birthday, Baby
by The Lilac Elf of Lothlorien
Summary: As Indiana Jones said, "It's not the years-it's the mileage." The Impala has 45 years and endless miles on her and on her birthday, her boys come by to celebrate. Slight spoilers for 'Of Grave Importance'


AUTHOR'S NOTES: So I did some re-reading of my 'Family Ties' series and something popped out at me. In the episode "Swan Song" Chuck says that the Impala rolled off the line April 24th, 1967. That means that tomorrow, the Impala turns 45 years old! So I thought the old girl deserved a birthday fic.

STORY SUMMARY: Dean and Sam are chasing Leviathans but a special birthday is coming up that takes precident. (Slight spoilers for 7.19-'Grave Importance')

Remember to read, review, and have a piece of birthday cake in honor of the most important object in the world!

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SUPERNATURAL: Happy Birthday, Baby

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The old pick-up truck bounced along the old service road, heading to a deserted field where a tarp-covered car sat near an old beat-up trailer.

The truck pulled to a stop and Sam and Dean Winchester got out and went over to the car.

Dean pulled the tarp off and the first real smile Sam had seen in months crossed his brother's face. "Sam, go grab the bags out of the back. And, uh… don't forget the bottle in the front seat."

Sam just shook his head, rolling his eyes as a soft chuckle escaped him. But he grabbed the bags out of the backseat of the truck and went over to the 1967 Chevrolet Impala that—until recently—had been the only real home he'd ever known.

Dean wordlessly took the first two bags and—while Sam watched—polished the Impala's exterior until it was gleaming before doing the wheel rims, windows, and the leather interior. Sitting behind the wheel, Dean turned the engine over, smiling as he heard the car come to life. Not hearing anything off or that needed tuning, he slowly turned the car off, a sad expression on his face.

"Dean?" Sam said as he watched his brother get out of the car and wordlessly went to the front, lifting the hood and propping it up before checking the oil and fluids. "Remember when Dad would drive all through the night going from one job to the next?" Sam started, the memories popping up in his mind. "We used to see who could stay awake longest? But we both fell asleep listening to the car as Dad drove… the rumble of the engine… the rattle from those Legos you shoved in the vents… You always nodded off after me."

"It's cause your snoring kept me awake," Dean replied, gently lowering the hood. But after a while, he sighed. "I could never go to sleep first, Sammy." Looking at his brother, he added, "Not until I knew you were asleep. I had to watch out for you."

Sam smiled and he took a moment before saying, "You did a good job, Dean. Really," he insisted when Dean scoffed. "Dean, you saved my ass so many times when we were kids. And when Jessica died, you came back even though you could have been killed, too. You saved me. All this time you've _always_ done everything for me… even when knew it was dangerous or…"

Dean said nothing as he sat on the hood of the Impala, watching as Sam pulled items out of the last bag—paper plates, a box of plastic cutlery, birthday candles, and, finally, a small cake with the outline of the Impala drawn on the top in dark blue icing and the words 'happy birthday' written underneath.

"Are you idjits serious?" Bobby Singer said as he appeared next to Sam who was putting the last of 45 candles on the cake before pulling a stick lighter out of the bag.

"Serious as a bullet to the head," Dean replied, taking the lighter and lighting each of the candles while giving his dead hunter friend a grin.

"Oh, ha ha—very funny," Bobby retorted, sarcastically. But he grinned as Sam and Dean had hard time blowing out all the candles and quickly snuffed out the last of the small flames with a quick gesture.

"You're really getting good at that," Dean observed as Sam cut pieces of cake for the two of them.

"Practice makes perfect," Bobby said, cheerfully, with a shrug before taking the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label and unscrewing the cap before handing it to the boys.

"Here's to the Impala on her 45th birthday," Dean said as he raised the bottle in a toast. Taking a long swig, he passed the bottle to Sam who did the same before dribbling just a tablespoon or so of the liquor on the front of the car's hood. "Happy Birthday, Baby," Dean said warmly before digging into his piece of cake.

When the entire cake had been reduced to crumbs and their trash was disposed of, Sam looked at the Impala once more as Dean covered her back up. "I miss her, Dean."

Dean caught his brother's look and nodded. "Yeah… Me, too, Sammy. Me, too."

After making sure the Impala was secured, the Winchesters got back into the truck and headed back towards the main road, both sneaking glances in the rearview mirror until their only home was long gone from their sight.

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A/N: The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Sam's comment of "I miss her" could be taken several different ways-The Impala, Mary, Ellen and Jo, Annie... Or on Dean's end, maybe he was thinking about Lisa.


End file.
